KUCHING: There are 15,315 registered cooperatives in the country with a total share capital of RM16.99 billion as of Dec 31 last year.
Cooperative Institute of Malaysia (CIM) director-general Datuk Mohd Ali Mansor said the cooperatives have a total membership of 7.05 million.
“The total income of the cooperatives amount to RM38.49 billion and with assets amounting to RM159.9 billion,” he said during the ‘Turun Padang Ke Arah Memasyarkatkan Koperasi (MASKOP) 2023’ programme organised by CIM at the Waterfront Hotel here today.
Back in 2021, there were 14,834 registered cooperatives with a membership of seven million with a total income of RM37.8 billion and with assets amounting to RM154.9 billion.
“This is a slight improvement of the cooperative movement,” he said.
As for Sarawak, he said the number of cooperatives had also increased from 1,109 in December 2021 to 1,159 in December last year.
“The membership has also increased from 297,332 members in 2021 to 310,178 in 2022, which is an increase of 4.48 percent,” he said.
In addition, the assets of the cooperatives in Sarawak had increased by 1.66 percent from 2021 to 2022, amounting to RM647.45 million with an increased turnover by 26.21 percent or RM392.84 million.
“Looking at the division of the cooperatives based on clusters, our country has as many as 268 large cluster cooperatives, 479 (medium), 1,289 (small), and 13,279 (micro),” he said.
Mohd Ali said cooperatives have improved the members’ standard of living through business activities and profit sharing.
“Cooperatives are also seen as capable of producing cooperative entrepreneurs through businesses carried out,” he said.
A good management and governance in cooperatives is very important as it can contribute to the increase in cooperative earnings and in return also contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), he said.
“Furthermore, CIM will always strive to ensure that the cooperative movement in our country and Sarawak, in particular, does not lag behind in knowledge and skills of managing the entity.
“This year, CIM has planned more than 600 programmes and for the Sarawak zone we have prepared a total of 59 programmes, which include relevant courses, seminars and talks,” said Mohd Ali.
At the event, school uniforms and other necessities were presented tot needy students under the CIM’s Back To School programme.
